Slow Dances
by katierosefun
Summary: Everyone in the school had a date to the Winter Formal. Fifteen years old Clara Oswald didn't. And that was when the Doctor decided to be her dance partner. [Whoufleé fluff.]


**Embarrassing and true story - Just this morning, the song ****_A Thousand Years _****by Christina Perri came on and I pretended that I was slow-dancing with my imaginary significant other. (I kept switching between Colin Morgan and Matt Smith. :3 *sighs* I'm such a hopeless romantic.) **

**And so, this story came to life. Enjoy! **

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_Slow Dances_

Everyone in the school had a date to the Winter Formal. And that meant _everyone_ – even June Farley, and _she_ was the most disagreeable girl on the planet. So _why _was Clara Oswald the only one who didn't have a proper date?

"Having a date to the Winter Formal isn't the most important thing in the world, Clara," Clara's mother had told her earlier that day as Clara fixed herself up for the dance. "This is only _one night_. You have the rest of your life to find a Prince Charming to dance with you for more than one night."

Clara had puffed out a sad, little sigh and, adjusting the makeup on her face, replied, "But I want a Prince Charming _tonight_."

Clara's mother simply gave the young girl a hug and a peck on the cheek. "Don't worry," she said. "He'll come soon enough."

And that was that.

Now, Clara was watching her friends dancing with their dates to an extremely slow song and slowly dying in shame. She made her way off the dance floor and sat herself down at one of the tables, where the lights couldn't find her or her non-existent Prince Charming.

It wasn't that Clara was _obsessed_ with finding a boyfriend or whatever – she was an independent, little soul. It wasn't even as though the Winter Formal was a fancy, Victorian dance. For one thing, it was held in the school's gymnasium, where the floors still smelled like wax. There were still some tacky banners with cheesy slogans on the wall, though Clara supposed that the bright, neon lights and the sparkling strings that hung from the ceiling made up for it.

However, it wouldn't have hurt to at least have a boyfriend for _one night_ when _every girl _had a boyfriend. Clara still couldn't believe that she was the only one who didn't get asked. It seemed much too unrealistic.

Clara clasped her hands over the table and sighed. She might as well wait for the song to finish, and though it should have been a few minutes, Clara felt as though she was waiting for a century. What made the experience all worse was that a few girls and boys were flitting her little glances now – some looks were sympathetic, others were amused, and some were just plainly patronizing.

Either way, each look made Clara want to sink into a puddle and moan in self-pity.

Finally, Clara pushed herself away from the table and walked out of the room. She might as well walk around the school by herself, where she could have a _bit _of privacy. However, just as Clara turned a corner, she was grabbed by the hand and led down the hallway by a tall, lean man.

"Am I late?" The man asked worriedly, whirling around to look at Clara.

Clara simply blinked up at the man. He had floppy, dark brown hair and wide, hazel-green eyes that seemed to search every inch of Clara's face. He had a bit of a chin and his eyebrows were rather funny-looking, and if Clara wasn't already bewildered by the situation, she would have found him rather handsome.

She swallowed and tugged her hand away from the man. "Who are you?" She asked, crossing her arms.

The man bit down on his lip and twiddled his thumbs, as though he was trying to look for an answer. (Which, by the way, Clara found rather ridiculous – it was a simple enough question, wasn't it?)

Finally, the man replied, "I'm a friend."

"Really? I haven't seen you before." Clara said loftily. The man gave Clara a wide grin, as if she had said the most wonderful thing in the world. Clara raised an eyebrow in response and he clapped his hands together. "Still the same, I see!" He said cheerfully and grabbed Clara's hand. "Come on – it's Winter Formal, isn't it? Don't you want to dance?"

Clara felt her heart jump into her throat and her jaws clicked open in surprise. _A Prince Charming for one night…? _She thought, dazed, and slowly nodded.

The man let out a laugh and started to tug Clara along. "What are you waiting for, then? Let's go!" He said enthusiastically and within minutes, the two burst into the gymnasium. To Clara's surprise, a different song was playing – though it was still slow.

A few heads turned to look at the source of the noise. Clara self-absently tightened her grip on the man's hand and whispered, "What now?"

The man looked down at Clara and smiled. "What now? We _dance." _He said quietly and without another word, he guided Clara to the dance floor. The man allowed Clara to put her hands on his shoulders and his own hands lowered to her waist. There was something odd about it all, too – Clara almost felt as though this position was natural, which was confusing, seeing that Clara had _never_ met this man before.

But Clara didn't hold back. She allowed herself to dance to the song with the man. A soft, gentle smile was on his face now, and Clara had the strange impression that he was enjoying this a bit more than she was.

The man had a nice smile, though.

He twirled Clara around, causing her to cry out in surprise. The man let out a small laugh and brought Clara back into his arms. Again, Clara got the oddest feeling that this felt _right. Perfect. _

_And she was in a stranger's arms. _

"Do you…do this often?" Clara whispered at last as the two returned to their previous dancing position. The man shook his head. "You're the first I've ever done this for." He replied easily. Clara smiled and took a small step towards the man, her face turned up to look at him. "Well, aren't I special." She said lightly. She allowed herself to be twirled around and asked, "How do you know me?"

The man grinned. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

Clara lifted an eyebrow and, standing at the tips of her toes, she whispered in his ear, "Try me."

The man chuckled lightly under his breath and held Clara out at an arm's length. "I would," he replied. "And I will. Soon. You'll see."

Clara blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"You'll see." The man repeated. "Wait a few years – it'll come to you."

To Clara's disappointment, the slow song spiraled to a stop. She would have liked a few more minutes of dancing with this man. Instead, she asked, "Then…will you stay for the rest of the dance?"

"Can't." The man replied sadly. Clara bit down on her lip. "And what if I'm left alone again?" She asked in a small voice.

"There won't be another slow song, so you won't be left alone." The man responded and as the last few notes of the song faded away, he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Clara's forehead. Clara closed her eyes, feeling her heart skip and jump in funny little patterns. She felt the man's hands slip away from her waist and when she re-opened her eyes, he was gone.

xXx

Ten years later, Clara Oswald was standing in the TARDIS and dancing with the same man, only this time, she knew his name. There wasn't any music in the background, though Clara didn't mind. She rocked gently back and forth in the Doctor's arms and looked up at him.

"You didn't slow dance with anyone else?" The Doctor whispered. She grinned and, giving the Doctor a small kiss on the cheek, replied, "No. I was still waiting for you."

A happy, beautiful smile lit up the Doctor's face and he rested her chin on her shoulder. "You didn't mind waiting?" He asked quietly.

"Of course not." Clara said quietly. "We still get to resume our slow dance, right?"

The Doctor looked down at Clara with tender eyes. A soft chuckle of mirth escaped his lips and he wrapped his arms around Clara. "Yes," he murmured. "We get to resume the slow dance."

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**A/N - Well, I think Clara was twenty-four years old with the Doctor, so ten years should be a fairly accurate gap, right? *sighs* And dang, I wish I had a surprise Doctor come to my school dances and dance with me. Gah. I am so weird. *groans* **

**Anyways, I suppose this _was _a bit unrealistic, with Clara just going along with a random guy deciding to dance with her, but I _did _write that Clara felt as though it was natural - like she's done it before...or will do it later. (Hee, hee, hee...) **

**Reviews are always nice! Constructive criticism is allowed, but flames are not!  
**


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